Hello! My name is Kristal, and I grew up in a small town in Texas where the only thing to do was play PacMan at the laundromat. Now, I live in Scotland! I hope this to be a fun, entertaining, and informative blog for my family, friends, and all you other people out there. Let the adventures begin.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Setting up a Bank Account, Soggy Socks, and Recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala

Today I went to Steve's office to meet with the banker and Steve. Monica, a very nice woman that Steve works with (there seems to be a trend here... such nice people) brought Steve home to pick up his passport and me. We needed something with my name on it to set up the bank account. We weren't even thinking about that when we signed up for our TV/Phone package, but luckily, Steve was thinking and put my name on the TV license. We printed that out and took it with us. The banker said that may work. Keep this in mind if you are moving abroad! Anyway, I ate lunch with Steve, which was nice, and then walked home. It started raining as soon as I came around the side of the building, and it continued to rain the entire walk home (about 20-25 minutes). It wouldn't have been so bad except that my shoes were not water proof so water started coming in through the soles! Great! Soggy, cold socks.

On the way home

There's just something seemingly better about coming into a warm house from the cold than coming into a cool house from the heat.

After recovering, I walked to the Bon Accord shopping center again. About a mile - 1.5 miles. This time I wore boots. I got these at Kohls, and even though they are not flat, they were so comfortable! The 2+ miles I walked in them up and down hills are proof enough for me!

Croft and Barrow

At the mall I bought an internet dongle and some Clinique makeup. I've never used Clinique before, but I've heard good things, and as the brand of makeup I use is not sold here, I decided to give it a go! By the way, the Clinique technicians (as labeled on the nametags) in the Boots store are fantastic. Boots is essentially a giant make-up store. You can find Boots-brand items at Target in the US.

I made chicken tikka masala for dinner (recipe below) and served it with some white wine to celebrate Steve's first day at work (and to cool the heat from the peppers...hehe).

Sorry.. I couldn't get the picture to turn. I open it on my computer, and it's correct.. but not on here. Buggy things.

Chicken Tikka Masala (serves 3-4)
I got this recipe from a teacher I used to work with and then made a few minor changes.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Add 1-2 tbls of olive oil to a large pan (about 2-3 times around the pan). Cook the chicken on medium heat until done (cut one open to check that juices are clear). Then transfer them to a cutting board.

In the same pan, add the onions, garlic, and bell peppers. You'll want to add the jalapenos last or it will be VERY spicy. When the onions soften, add the tikka masala sauce, whipping cream or yogurt (1 cup), and about half of the jalapenos. Reduce heat to low and let simmer. Stir occasionally.

Begin cooking the rice. Follow instructions on bag! :o)

Slice the chicken into 1 x 1 inch cubes and add to the sauce with the remainder of jalapenos. Let simmer until the rice is done, and then serve the chicken tikka masala over rice.

Set a bowl of plain yogurt and a bowl of sliced bananas on the table. These go great with the chicken tikka masala and will help to tame the heat for those who like things a bit milder than some of us.